Automated project-management models might be popular, but they don’t lead to the championship-quality results.
Project managers achieve greater success and long-term sustainability by leveraging emotional intelligence (EI). Yes, mastering emotions makes it possible to motivate employees to higher performances. There are two types of EI. (More on that later.)
Meantime, is EI always helpful? No. It depends. It can have a downside.
For example:
When managers or employees hide their feelings and strategically use their skills for personal gain by manipulating others.
As a result of such political environments, project team members lose their abilities to reason.
How leaders use EI
Leaders use EI — to develop their vision and in management of their teams — for execution of strategies in project management to realize higher performances.
Conversely, typical managers might be capable of developing promising strategies, but they only reach satisfactory results from execution. Why?
They don’t leverage the potential of EI in their workplace teams by encouraging open, emotional expression.
Consequently, they don’t motivate their teams to effectively execute strategies for the best outcomes.
Worse, some tend to hire people who aren’t assertive and who are reluctant to tell bosses about looming issues and obstacles to organization success.
Nor do such managers understand their workplace collective emotions — the feelings of their groups of employees.
If new initiatives and projects aren’t popular among employees, the water-cooler gossip leads to a negative group-think which can be quite damaging and can even lead to the downfall of projects.
So, what are the results? The outcomes are tantamount to strategy without execution for average results.
Leaders use emotional intelligence — to develop their vision and in management of their teams — for execution of strategies in project management to realize higher performances.
Steps to greater success
The process starts for managers by learning more about EI. After studying it, they follow with a self-examination of their communication practices and body language — checking to see if they create barriers between themselves and their teams.
Managers can then increase their chances for success in their visions — improving the culture’s climate — by inspiring an environment of open communication.
Naturally, employee freedom of emotional expression must neither offend the sensitivities of team members nor hurt the welfare of the organization.
However, if managers better understand their own EI and their teams’ collective emotions and encourage freedom in emotional expression, they’ll improve their odds of identifying and managing negative emotions for superior results from execution.
Projects can be more successful by identifying and communicating with appropriate emotional values — as a complement to automated project-management models.
From the Coach’s Corner, related information:
6 Types of Ineffective Project Managers — Poor performing project managers generally have one of six traits, according to technology author Phil Simon. Actually, his insights are applicable for any type of manager. Pulling no punches, Mr. Simon’s commentary, “Bad Project Managers: 6 Archetypes,” was published in InformationWeek.
Leadership and Planning Tips for Successful Project Management — In truth, projects fail because they’re not managed. Yes, there are varying degrees, but in reality they’re either managed or they’re not. The project manager must possess 11 leadership attributes to manage the team, stay on track and keep within budget.
4 Ways to Solve 6 Uncertainties in Project Management — Seemingly negative surprises have often been perceived as insurmountable, but that’s not always the situation in project management. By innovatively spotting opportunities in uncertainties, the results often exceed initial expectations in budgeting, quality and scheduling. That’s the lesson according to an academic report.
How to Grow Your EI for Leadership Success — Emotional intelligence (EI) is important for communication and leadership. A person who has EI is able to evaluate, understand, and control emotions.
“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.”
-Dale Carnegie
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